Attendance

The meeting was opened by Nick Denbow who read out the 2016 AGM minutes in summary. Copies were also provided at each table. These 2016 minutes were proposed for acceptance by Diana Goulding, seconded by Jeanne Nicholls, and voted as approved.

2016 Report

Nick Denbow as Secretary reviewed the year, which had included some very enjoyable and memorable talks, plus enjoyable events in the garden party and Christmas party. With membership still at around 40, the Group is still active, and not many members have dropped out. The Committee have spent a lot of time on trying to identify new sources of funding, and two new sources have been approached for 2017.

Treasurer’s Report

Clive Earthy made his report as Treasurer, after thanks to Jackie Earthy for typing and printing the accounts, and to Jenny Hayes for checking them. Copies of the report were available at each table.

The income last year (2016/17) compared to the previous year was much increased. This was because the membership subscriptions were increased to £15 per person, giving a total of £562 (cf £340). Donations at £717 included two external grants, one from NATC for £350, and one from the Pigs for £145: but the largest proportion (£222) came from the members themselves in donations for recycled equipment, and purchases of other aids. The Raffles income increased yet again, to £150 (cf £117). All Social Services and HCC or similar funding has disappeared. So total income was £1430, (compared to £638 previously).

Cost totals year to year were up slightly on the previous year, (£1335 cf £1153 last year), where we had committed to some expensive speakers, giving their fees at £175 (cf £98), and a more expensive garden party + Christmas party at £270 total (cf £142): this was what the Pigs donated the £145 to support. Clive did note that a lot of mulled wine was consumed at Christmas. With £713 in the Bank, the group financial projection was reasonable, and better than last year: Clive proposed that the membership fee should remain unchanged.

The Treasurer’s statement and report for 2016/17 was proposed as accepted by Audrey Chalk, seconded by Tessa Purkiss, and agreed in a vote by the meeting.

Chairman’s Summary

Nick Denbow explained that the Chairman, Lin Parker, had resigned in July, and so with Brian Purkiss also stepping down, the Committee had co-opted two new members, Patrick and Angela Hartley, to help with running the Group. This was in accordance with the Giles Constitution – which also requires that three long serving Committee members step down after three years. The three stepping down this year were Nick Denbow, Clive Earthy and Jeanne Nicholls, who all offered themselves for re-election. This was proposed by Una Yeates, and seconded by Wynn Stowell, and the meeting voted to approve this unanimously.

Next it was necessary for the Committee to find a new Chairman and Vice-Chairman: after receiving suggestions and discussing options, the Committee proposed Patrick Hartley as Chairman and Diann Adam as Vice-Chairman. The formal vote was proposed by Nick Denbow and seconded by Clive Earthy, and agreed by the meeting, unanimously.

Thanks were then expressed to Diann, Nan and Gina, as well as Audrey Chalk, for their constant and varied supply of teas and cakes for the meetings, and for the drop-in Tuesdays. Plus a major vote of thanks to Peter Cutler for driving the Minibus. Clive will supply Membership cards for 2017 in return for the new subscriptions, which gives the future schedule of talks.

Members Proposals

Jeanne Nicholls asked as ever for Member’s suggestions for the Minibus trip destinations: mostly these have concentrated on garden centres, but this next week the destination is Petersfield.

Rosaleen McDonald suggested a possible speaker in Neil Macareth, who had spent some long periods in Nepal with the Gurkhas.

Wynn Stowell expressed her thanks to the Committee for the work they do, on behalf of the Members.

The 2017 accounts are attached below

Nicolette Morgan writes that she is wishing to raise awareness of the Home Library Service, a free service available from all Hampshire libraries including Alresford library.

The Home Library Service is for anyone who finds it difficult to get to their nearest library due to ill health, disability or caring responsibilities. We can usually arrange for one of our local volunteers to visit to exchange library materials on a monthly basis. We appreciate that often the social contact with a volunteer is as important as the library items they choose and deliver. There are no charges to hire audio books, and no overdue charges for late returns. All our volunteers are DBS (CRB) checked and comply with instructions and standards as set out by library staff.

We can deliver a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books in standard and large print formats, specialist books including ones suitable for those living with Dementia, items from our Reminiscence collection, audio books on CD, MP3 CD (a whole book on one disc) and Playaways which are easy to use digital players. We can also offer National Talking newspapers and Magazines which library staff can download onto a memory stick for you to listen to through any device with an MP3 USB connection.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me (nicolette.morgan@hants.gov.uk). I would be happy to deliver a talk to your group on the Home Library Service and what else is available from their local library.

Steve Gapper established Home-Instead in Alresford with his wife Jan in 2011. Since then they have expanded the business, which provides non-medical home care services to the elderly, first in Alresford, and now to a wider area covering Winchester, Eastleigh and Chandler’s Ford. Their staff has expanded to number more than 70 now, all working on a minimum of an hour for each visit with a client. The services provided are divided into four distinct groups, Companionship, Home-Help, Personal Care and then Specialised services.

Steve based his January presentation to the Giles Group on the positive things the elderly can, and should do, to maintain their health and fitness. He started off by praising such meetings and activities as are provided by the Giles Group, which give opportunities for human interaction and mental stimulation, all very important! In summing up he listed some of the many other useful regular events in Alresford, suitable for the elderly, as follows:

Weekly Events

The Senior Citizens Lunch Club: Thursdays at the Methodist Church Hall: The contacts are Liz Garton on 733125 or Elaine Secluna on 733192

Whilst some of the above are open to all, and are either supported by a charge or ask for a donation, others, such as the Lunch Club and the Exercise Class, require a space to be available and/or a post-injury reference from the Surgery.

NATT Minibus trips

Separately, some members of the audience asked about the regular shopping trips made by the town Minibus. These are organised by Pam Stevens on 734861, and the standard schedule is:

First Tuesday in the month: 0845 start, for Sainsburys in Alton.

Second Wednesday in the month: 0845 start, for Tesco in Winnall.

Third Wednesday in the month: 1300 start, for Sainsburys in Alton.

Fourth Wednesday in the month: 0900 start, to Central Winchester.

Every Friday, several trips to and from Alresford Community Centre, starting from 0830 throughout the morning.

Second and Fourth Saturdays in the month: 0830 start, on a trip to Petersfield.

All bus trips collect and deliver passengers to outside their homes. There is a standard fare for each trip, charged to cover the vehicle fuel and maintenance: the drivers are all volunteers. More volunteer drivers are needed, if you are available!

The Giles Group December meeting is usually our Christmas party. This year we were lucky enough to have some of the Perins schoolgirls singing for us, accompanied by Miss Cotton, their music teacher. The girls did not just sing carols, but added other songs, such as “Thankyou for the Music” from Abba, and some classic Christmas songs.

The group call themselves Acapella, (if we have spelled it correctly) which seems the right sort of name, as “A Capella” (translated from the Italian this means “in the manner of the chapel”) and is used for music from a group singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It contrasts with ‘cantata’, which is accompanied singing.

We were really grateful for their visit, particularly to Miss Cotton, who was due to be married the following weekend, presumably timed to be at the end of term!

The rest of the party went off as usual, with lots of raffle prizes, and plenty to eat, while the guests puzzled over a quiz that was voted the hardest ever. Pauline Tombs seemed to be in particularly good form, and helped her table get the most correct answers, particularly with identifying the various carols.

Many thanks to all those who provided the cakes, biscuits and food for the party, particularly to Jackie Earthy for the Christmas cake – and to Angela Hartley for the table decorations. Plus thanks as ever to Peter Cutler for driving the Minibus every month.

The Giles November 2016 meeting was a presentation by Jane Varrall, an Alresford resident, and also the daughter-in-law of one of our Giles members. Jane explained her all-absorbing hobby of painting on silk, and how this has developed up to the present day. Undoubtedly a skilled artist, Jane has written several books relating to her silk painting.

Starting from the silk scarves, and a beautiful camisole showing a tropical bird and flowers, Jane showed how her painting had progressed through phases with Egyptian and Turkish patterns, and then how adding quilting added a texture. More recently the paintings have involved adding photos – printed onto specially prepared material – and then stitched onto the silk.

This is an Alresford picture, including favourite walks round Fulling Mill and the Watercress Line at Alresford Station

There were other examples on display, for example in a Jane Austen themed set of pictures, and a collection of portraits of Burmese ladies photographed on a recent holiday – then these photos were built into colourful silk pictures. One young lady was presented in her wedding dress, looking particularly attractive in a flower garden – Jane had painted out her groom, who had been standing by her side at the time! Since then Jane has moved on to using similar printed material appliqué-ed on to the silk, for example with pictures of tulips.

Another holiday had been in New Zealand, and this time Jane did allow a man to appear in one of her pictures! Which is not quite fair, as there were several images of Ian Morton, on one extended (long) picture showing the careful restructuring work that created her garden, when the family moved to Alresford.

The meeting was the best attended of the year, with over 35 Giles Group members crammed into the Community Centre: even the Town Minibus was over-subscribed, and had to make two trips! Many thanks to Jane, whose really interesting talk was much appreciated.

Last week’s story about the Giles Group trip on the Alison MacGregor around Southampton Docks and Hythe had an interesting follow up story! Just as we were returning to Hythe Marina, a very smart “Superyacht” was seen moving up Southampton Water into the Port area, between two tugs.

The picture I took of this Superyacht, called the “Lady A”, was spotted on FlickR by Charl van Rooy, Editor of the SuperYacht Times: he has supplied links to two stories that his magazine has published, explaining that this yacht, which is owned by Lord Sugar, had been sent to a shipyard in Portchester for a refit and a repaint, last September.

It was the longest day of the year, 20 June, when the Giles Group monthly outing went out on the Alison MacGregor launch from Hythe for a trip around the Solent, which in this case meant around the docks in Southampton and up the River Itchen for a look round there. Despite the rain all morning, which made two with faint hearts drop out, the weather was marvellous, and no-one got wet, even from the spray.

The Alresford Minibus set off early to meet the boat by 2pm, and after a little messing about in the Marina we managed to find a toilet with disabled access, in the Marina Restaurant: many thanks to them for opening up for us specially! Then we set off out of the lock gates, although since the tide was in there was not much change in water level. This made the trip all the better, as we could see more on the docksides – which mainly was taken up with thousands of cars, Minis and Range Rovers, being exported in big car transporters.

You have to wonder how leaving the EU will affect the traffic in and out of the port – but there were a lot of JCB excavators as well, and JCB were one of the companies supporting the ‘Out’ campaign. Other notable items being prepared for export shipping were several large wind turbine blades, which the skipper described as ‘the last ones made on the Isle of Wight’, as production had been transferred to Norway – or maybe it was Sweden.

The commentary from the skipper describing the passing sights was really useful in understanding what we could see: whether it was related to the history of the port, or the old ships now being restored and used for pleasure trips, or the new docks for the large cruise liners – filled that day with yet another car transporter. Apparently these big ships with their multiple decks of cars get unloaded and loaded up again within 24 hours! There was also some banter from dissident members of the crew, who were concerned to explain that “Left” meant “Port”, and “Right” meant “Starboard” when the skipper gave his commentary!

Everyone enjoyed the trip, and all fell asleep on the Minibus on the way back, except for the driver: we arrived back home in time for tea, well refreshed by an afternoon on the water!

The view of Southampton Docks as we left the Hythe Marina

Car transporters

One of the Cruise ships – the AIDAprima, German owned but registered in GenoaThe old Calshot Spit light vessel behind the new cruise terminal